1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector used in the connection of a card such as a memory card, etc. More particularly, the present invention relates to the construction of an eject mechanism for discharging the inserted card in such a card connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a compact memory card is widely used to record voice data and image data photographed by a digital camera.
It is known that the eject mechanism is arranged so as to discharge the inserted and connected card by a simple operation in the connector on the side of a device using such a card.
When the card is discharged by using such an eject mechanism, there is a fear that the card drops and is damaged when the card is ejected from the connector with strong force. Therefore, it is known that the card connector has a lock mechanism (a so-called half lock mechanism) for holding the card in a state not perfectly pulled out of a card insertion port while the electric connection of an electrode portion and an input-output terminal of the connector is released by suitably pulling-out the card when the eject operation is performed in a connecting state of the card.
In this half lock, the card is held in the card insertion port with suitable holding force. Even when force intended to pull out the card is applied in this state, no card is pulled out when this force is small. Namely, no card is naturally pulled out in the half lock state even when the card insertion port side is turned upside down so as to be downwardly located, or is vibrated by a normal use. In contrast to this, the card can be easily taken out when strong force is applied to the card such that the card is gripped by a hand and is pulled out.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 135192/1999 and 2001-185286 disclose a construction having the above half lock mechanism in the card connector of a push-push type using a heart cam mechanism.
On the other hand, in a state in which the card is connected and the electric connection of the electrode portion and the input-output terminal of the connector is made, it is advantageous to arrange a lock mechanism (a so-called full lock mechanism) for preventing the pulling-out of the card with holding force able to resist the strong force when the strong force for gripping and pulling-out the card by the user's hand is applied. This is because the pulling-out of the card due to a mistake of the user can be prevented and erasion and damage of stored contents of the memory card can be prevented.
In this respect, the half lock mechanism is simply arranged and the above full lock mode cannot be set in each of the techniques disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 135192/1999 and 2001-185286.
On the other hand, the construction for arranging both the half lock mechanism and the full lock mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 149956/1999.
However, in this technique, the full lock mechanism and the half lock mechanism are separately constructed and this construction is disadvantageous in view of the number of parts and compactness of the device. Further, when the card is pulled out in this construction, the card must be pulled out after an operation for releasing the full lock is once performed. Accordingly, the user must perform a complicated operation.
Further, the full lock state using the full lock mechanism is a state for resisting force for compulsorily pulling-out the card by the user. Accordingly, the full lock state must be a state in which the card is firmly locked in the connecting state and holding force able to prevent the pulling-out of the card must be shown even when considerably strong force is applied. Further, in the full lock mechanism, durability is also required so as not to be easily damaged and worn even when such strong force is applied many times.